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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · dip · hand · cold · pitcher · can · squash · net

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. can — to be able to
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. craft — boats
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. can — a tin
  8. dip — to sink
  9. squash — to crush
  10. net — for catching
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. net — in sport
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cold — not warm
  19. craft — a skill
  20. net — after costs
  21. squash — the sport
  22. can — a tin
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com